US state of Colorado legalises cannabis
History is being made as Colorado becomes the first US state to allow shops to sell Cannabis. Across the state, there are up to 30 shops that are expected to begin selling cannabis for recreational purposes from Wednesday 1st January 2014. The day has been Christened, Green Wednesday.
The vote to legalise the possession and use of the drug for people over the age of 21 was cast back in November 2012 by Washington state as well as Colorado, although Washington state is not expected to officially legalise the drug until later on in 2014.
Shop owners prepared for ‘Green Wednesday’ by stocking up on Cannabis and hiring more security. Residents of the state will be allowed to purchase up to one ounce, while visitors coming into the state will only be allowed to buy up to a quarter of an ounce.
A spokesperson from the Colorado branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Rachel Gillette, said that Colorado “has found an exit strategy for the failed drug war and I hope other states will follow our lead”.
However, critics of the law have said that it promotes a bad image to the nation’s youth. There is a fear that it may progress to serious social and health issues for the public: “There will still need to be a black market to serve people who are ineligible to buy on a legal market, especially kids. It’s almost the worst of both worlds,” said Kevin Sabet from Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
For onlookers into this new development, we can only wait and see how this will affect the people and infrastructure of Colorado.